Pulsed power systems are electrical power systems that convert a continuous electrical current into a series of high voltage bursts of energy. These specialized power systems are commonly employed with radar systems in which large bursts of energy are used to detect aircraft. An inherent challenged of pulsed power systems is that the high voltage and discontinuous current stream make monitoring the electrical characteristics of the output from the pulsed power system difficult. Specifically, measuring the voltage outputted by the pulsed power systems in real time particularly challenging.
Typically, the voltage across an electrical circuit having a constant current is measured by attaching the electrical leads to the input and output of the circuit and measuring the change in potential across the circuit as constant current is supplied to the circuit. However, pulsed power systems do not have constant current, but rather store quantities of energy in an internal storage device, such as a capacitor bank, before discharging the energy in high voltage bursts. The discontinuous bursts of energy hinder real time monitoring of the voltage across pulsed power electrical systems through conventional means. Moreover, the high operational voltages typical of pulsed power systems often exceed the operational limits of most conventional voltmeters and similar monitoring systems.
In addition, the large quantities of energy stored and discharged by the pulsed power systems can create a substantial safety risk for operators monitoring the operating conditions and maintaining the pulsed power systems. Specifically, the significant amount of energy stored within the internal storage device of the pulsed power supply can create a substantial arcing if inadvertently discharged during testing or maintenance. In particular, attaching the leads of the voltmeter and other monitoring system can result in inadvertent discharge of energy that can resulting in damage to the power system or injury to the user.
While the benefits of pulsed power systems are substantial, a method or device for safely monitoring the electrical characteristics of pulsed power systems is required to improve the overall effectiveness of the systems.